Three suitors and a legend: Roland Garros prepares for the men’s semi-finals with Nadal as the protagonist

Only four tennis players are still alive in the Roland Garros men’s draw. Four players who are looking for the same goal, but who arrive with completely different roles from Philippe Chatrier. The protagonist, without a doubt, is Rafael Nadal (5th). It will be his 15th semi-final at Roland-Garros a contest where he went from human to legend and where now he will try to further extend his advantage in the race for Grand Slams and be the best in history.

Spaniards don’t have it easy. Everyone wants to be his executioner. Beating Rafa on the main court of the Paris hall is very special since, so far, only two players have achieved this feat. First it was Robin Soderling in 2009 then Novak Djokovic twice, in 2015 and 2021 . The other 107 games he played in Paris ended with Nadal as the winner. For this reason, his name in the Gallic countries is much greater than in any other event.

In this round of the top four, Alexander Zverev (3rd) will be his rival. The world number three will play his first semi-finals at Roland Garros and hopes, finally, to strike a blow in terms of Grand Slam. The German, moreover, not only has the chance to defeat a legend, but also has the great possibility of being the new world number one once the tournament is over.

If Ash wins the contest, he will reach the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career. thus becoming the 28th player to do so and the second German to reach the top of the ranking, after Boris Becker.

However, Zverev knows it won’t be an easy game. Already at the start of the tournament, without even thinking that he would have to face him a week later, he warned of the weight of Nadal’s figure at Roland Garros: “We saw him practice and all of a sudden his forehand is 30 kilometers faster. Your feet move lighter. There’s something about this court that makes you play 30% better just being on it “, Launched the German, who must now find a way to counter these feelings. Someone who will help him with that will be his coach, Sergi Bruguera, who is also the captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team, so he knows his compatriot’s weaknesses… If he has any.

The head-to-head is in favor of the winner of 21 major tournaments, as Rafa has beaten the Teutonic five times, with only three defeats. On clay, the record is 4-1 for the Balearics; and that defeat was in Madrid a tournament that has nothing to do with this French Open.

Nadal only thinks of his 22nd Grand Slam. Getting his 14th Roland-Garros would be the ultimate prize for a season where he found one of his best versions, despite all doubts, but where he also suffered a lot from his left foot injury. . In a tournament where he left farewell messages, a new title would be the icing on the cake. Thinking about retirement may still be rushed, but it is very likely that after Roland-Garros, the Manacor tennis player will take a long break to sort out his physical problems and think about the future.

Throughout the week we said that the side of the draw where Casper Ruud (8th) and Marin Cilic (23rd) are going has no weight. Whoever reaches the final must settle for second place. May the champion come from the side of Djokovic, Nadal, Zverev and Alcaraz. A prediction that both the Norwegian and the Croatian will seek to throw away.

Both played at a high level during the tournament and come to these semi-finals ready to rewrite history: Ruud, with the confidence of being one of the best clay court players on the planet, and Cilic, with the security of being experienced in major tournaments.

The world eight will play its first semi-final of a Majormanaging to score a milestone for your country and the Scandinavian region . But for the lack of experience do not worry. He made great strides on clay and that example seemed like an obvious career path. Seven of his eight professional titles have been won on clay including the two from this season.

Marin, meanwhile, comes to this semi-final to tell the world that she still has a lot to deliver. After a few seasons where he failed to give his best performances, the winner of the 2014 US Open seems to be back. His classification in the semi-finals of Roland Garros He became the fifth active player to reach this stage in all four Grand Slam tournaments.